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Catalog of Galactic β Cephei StarsWe present an extensive and up-to-date catalog of Galactic β Cepheistars. This catalog is intended to give a comprehensive overview ofobservational characteristics of all known β Cephei stars, coveringinformation until 2004 June. Ninety-three stars could be confirmed to beβ Cephei stars. We use data from more than 250 papers publishedover the last nearly 100 years, and we provide over 45 notes onindividual stars. For some stars we reanalyzed published data orconducted our own analyses. Sixty-one stars were rejected from the finalβ Cephei list, and 77 stars are suspected to be β Cepheistars. A list of critically selected pulsation frequencies for confirmedβ Cephei stars is also presented.We analyze the β Cephei stars as a group, such as the distributionsof their spectral types, projected rotational velocities, radialvelocities, pulsation periods, and Galactic coordinates. We confirm thatthe majority of the β Cephei stars are multiperiodic pulsators. Weshow that, besides two exceptions, the β Cephei stars with highpulsation amplitudes are slow rotators. Those higher amplitude starshave angular rotational velocities in the same range as thehigh-amplitude δ Scuti stars (Prot>~3 days).We construct a theoretical HR diagram that suggests that almost all 93β Cephei stars are main-sequence objects. We discuss theobservational boundaries of β Cephei pulsation and the physicalparameters of the stars. We corroborate that the excited pulsation modesare near to the radial fundamental mode in frequency and we show thatthe mass distribution of the stars peaks at 12 Msolar. Wepoint out that the theoretical instability strip of the β Cepheistars is filled neither at the cool nor at the hot end and attempt toexplain this observation.

An empirical temperature calibration for the Δ a photometric system . I. The B-type starsWe establish an empirical effective temperature calibration of mainsequence, luminosity class V to III B-type stars for the Δ aphotometric system which was originally developed to detect magneticchemically peculiar objects of the upper main sequence (early B-type toearly F-type) at 5200 Å. However, this system provides the index(g_1-y) which shows an excellent correlation with (B-V) as well as (b-y)and can be used as an indicator of the effective temperature. This issupplemented by a very accurate color-magnitude diagram, y or V versus(g_1-y), which can be used, for example, to determine the reddening,distance and age of an open cluster. This makes the Δ aphotometric system an excellent tool to investigate theHertzsprung-Russell-Diagram (HRD) in more detail. Using thereddening-free parameters and already established calibrations withinthe Strömgren uvbyβ, Geneva 7-color and Johnson UBV systems, apolynomial fit of third degree for the averaged effective temperaturesto the individual (g_1-y)0 values was derived. For thispurpose, data from the literature as well as new observations were takenresulting in 225 suitable bright normal B-type objects. The statisticalmean of the error for this sample is 238 K which is sufficient toinvestigate the HRD of distant galactic open clusters as well asextragalactic aggregates in the future.

On the evolutionary status of Be stars. I. Field Be stars near the SunA sample of 97 galactic field Be stars were studied by taking intoaccount the effects induced by the fast rotation on their fundamentalparameters. All program stars were observed in the BCDspectrophotometric system in order to minimize the perturbationsproduced by the circumstellar environment on the spectral photosphericsignatures. This is one of the first attempts at determining stellarmasses and ages by simultaneously using model atmospheres andevolutionary tracks, both calculated for rotating objects. The stellarages (τ) normalized to the respective inferred time that eachrotating star can spend in the main sequence phase (τ_MS) reveal amass-dependent trend. This trend shows that: a) there are Be starsspread over the whole interval 0  τ/τ_MS  1 of themain sequence evolutionary phase; b) the distribution of points in the(τ/τMS,M/Mȯ) diagram indicates thatin massive stars (M  12~Mȯ) the Be phenomenon ispresent at smaller τ/τ_MS age ratios than for less massive stars(M  12~Mȯ). This distribution can be due to: i)higher mass-loss rates in massive objets, which can act to reduce thesurface fast rotation; ii) circulation time scales to transport angularmomentum from the core to the surface, which are longer the lower thestellar mass.

Metallicity of mono- and multiperiodic β Cephei starsAnalyzing IUE ultraviolet spectra of β Cep pulsating stars wenoticed that multiperiodic variables have a larger mean metal abundancein the photosphere, [ m/H] , than monoperiodic ones. We applystatistical tests to verify this dichotomy. We obtain that, with a largeprobability, the multiperiodic β Cep stars have greater values of [m/H] . This result is consistent with the linear non-adiabatic theory ofpulsation of early B-type stars.

Metallicities of the β Cephei stars from low-resolution ultraviolet spectraWe derive basic stellar parameters (angular diameters, effectivetemperatures, metallicities) and interstellar reddening for all βCephei stars observed during the IUE satellite mission, including thosebelonging to three open clusters. The parameters are derived by means ofan algorithmic procedure of fitting theoretical flux distributions tothe low-resolution IUE spectra and ground-based spectrophotometricobservations. Since the metallicity has a special importance forpulsating B-type stars, we focus our attention in particular on thisparameter.Tables 1, 2, 4 and 5 are only available in electronic form athttp://www.edpsciences.org

Autocorrelation Analysis of Hipparcos Photometry of Short-Period Be StarsWe have used Hipparcos epoch photometry and a form of autocorrelationanalysis to investigate the amplitude and timescale of the short-periodvariability of 82 Be stars, including 46 Be stars that were analyzed byHubert & Floquet using Fourier and CLEAN analysis and 36 other Bestars that were suspected of short-period variability. Our method hasgiven useful information for about 84% of these stars; for the rest, thetime distribution of the Hipparcos epoch photometry limits thecapability of our technique.

Short-period line profile and light variations in the Beta Cephei star 19 MonocerotisWe present an analysis of 555 high-dispersion echelle spectra of 19 Monobtained from two sites as well as 115 Strömgren uvby observations.We show that three periodicities are present at 5.22994, 0.17019 and4.88956cycled-1. The first periodicity has by far the largestamplitude. Photometric amplitude ratios and phase differences indicatean l=2 mode, while the line profile variations unequivocally point tol=2,m=-2. Because of the low amplitudes of the other two modes, verylittle can be said concerning them. Although 19 Mon was originallyselected on the basis of its classification as a marginal Be star, theBe nature of the star is not supported by our observations.

Rotational Velocities of B StarsWe measured the projected rotational velocities of 1092 northern B starslisted in the Bright Star Catalogue (BSC) and calibrated them againstthe 1975 Slettebak et al. system. We found that the published values ofB dwarfs in the BSC average 27% higher than those standards. Only 0.3%of the stars have rotational velocities in excess of two-thirds of thebreakup velocities, and the mean velocity is only 25% of breakup,implying that impending breakup is not a significant factor in reducingrotational velocities. For the B8-B9.5 III-V stars the bimodaldistribution in V can be explained by a set of slowly rotating Ap starsand a set of rapidly rotating normal stars. For the B0-B5 III-V starsthat include very few peculiar stars, the distributions in V are notbimodal. Are the low rotational velocities of B stars due to theoccurrence of frequent low-mass companions, planets, or disks? Therotational velocities of giants originating from late B dwarfs areconsistent with their conservation of angular momentum in shells.However, we are puzzled by why the giants that originate from the earlyB dwarfs, despite having 3 times greater radii, have nearly the samerotational velocities. We find that all B-type primaries in binarieswith periods less than 2.4 days have synchronized rotational and orbitalmotions; those with periods between 2.4 and 5.0 days are rotating withina factor 2 of synchronization or are ``nearly synchronized.'' Thecorresponding period ranges for A-type stars are 4.9 and 10.5 days, ortwice as large. We found that the rotational velocities of the primariesare synchronized earlier than their orbits are circularized. The maximumorbital period for circularized B binaries is 1.5 days and for Abinaries is 2.5 days. For stars of various ages from 107.5 to1010.2 yr the maximum circularized periods are a smoothexponential function of age.

The ISO-SWS post-helium atlas of near-infrared stellar spectraWe present an atlas of near-infrared spectra (2.36 mu m-4.1 mu m) of ~300 stars at moderate resolution (lambda /delta lambda ~ 1500-2000). Thespectra were recorded using the Short-Wavelength Spectrometer aboard theInfrared Space Observatory (ISO-SWS). The bulk of the observations wereperformed during a dedicated observation campaign after the liquidhelium depletion of the ISO satellite, the so-called post-heliumprogramme. This programme was aimed at extending the MK-classificationto the near-infrared. Therefore the programme covers a large range ofspectral types and luminosity classes. The 2.36 mu m-4.05 mu m region isa valuable spectral probe for both hot and cool stars. H I lines(Bracket, Pfund and Humphreys series), He I and He II lines, atomiclines and molecular lines (CO, H2O, NH, OH, SiO, HCN,C2H2, ...) are sensitive to temperature, gravityand/or the nature of the outer layers of the stellar atmosphere(outflows, hot circumstellar discs, etc.). Another objective of theprogramme was to construct a homogeneous dataset of near-infraredstellar spectra that can be used for population synthesis studies ofgalaxies. At near-infrared wavelengths these objects emit the integratedlight of all stars in the system. In this paper we present the datasetof post-helium spectra completed with observations obtained during thenominal operations of the ISO-SWS. We discuss the calibration of the SWSdata obtained after the liquid helium boil-off and the data reduction.We also give a first qualitative overview of how the spectral featuresin this wavelength range change with spectral type. The dataset isscrutinised in two papers on the quantitative classification ofnear-infrared spectra of early-type stars ({Lenorzer} et al.\cite{lenorzer:2002a}) and late-type stars (Vandenbussche et al., inprep). Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instrumentsfunded by ESA Members States (especially the PI countries France,Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with theparticipation of ISAS and NASA. The full atlas is available inelectronic form at www.edpsciences.org Table 1 is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?/A+A/390/1033

An atlas of 2.4 to 4.1 mu m ISO/SWS spectra of early-type starsWe present an atlas of spectra of O- and B-type stars, obtained with theShort Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) during the Post-Helium program ofthe Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). This program is aimed at extendingthe Morgan & Keenan classification scheme into the near-infrared.Later type stars will be discussed in a separate publication. Theobservations consist of 57 SWS Post-Helium spectra from 2.4 to 4.1 μm, supplemented with 10 spectra acquired during the nominal mission witha similar observational setting. For B-type stars, this sample providesample spectral coverage in terms of subtype and luminosity class. ForO-type stars, the ISO sample is coarse and therefore is complementedwith 8 UKIRT Larcmin -band observations. In terms of the presence ofdiagnostic lines, the Larcmin -band is likely the most promising of thenear-infrared atmospheric windows for the study of the physicalproperties of B stars. Specifically, this wavelength interval containsthe Bralpha , Pfgamma , and other Pfund lines which are probes ofspectral type, luminosity class and mass loss. Here, we present simpleempirical methods based on the lines present in the 2.4 to 4.1 mu minterval that allow the determination of i) the spectral type of Bdwarfs and giants to within two subtypes; ii) the luminosity class of Bstars to within two classes; iii) the mass-loss rate of O stars and Bsupergiants to within 0.25 dex. Based on observations with ISO, an ESAproject with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PIcountries: France, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK) and with theparticipation of ISAS and NASA. The appendix is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin.qcat?J/A+A/384/473

Photometric Monitoring of Bright Be Stars. IV. 1996-1999We report long-term UBV observations of 15 bright, active Be stars,namely: X Persei, EW Canis Majoris, θ Coronae Borealis, 4 (V839)Herculis, 88 (V744) Herculis, 66 (V2048) Ophiuchi, NW Serpentis, CXDraconis, 12 (V395) Vulpeculae, 28 (V1624) Cygni, QR Vulpeculae, 59(V832) Cygni, EW Lacertae, ο Andromedae, and KX Andromedae. Theobservations were made in 1996-1999 through the Automatic PhotometricTelescope Service in Arizona and through the American Association ofVariable Star Observers (AAVSO) photoelectric photometry program andhave been added to a database extending back 20 years. We describe thestars' recent behavior and also comment on the long-term behavior ofsome of them. They vary photometrically on timescales ranging from abouta day to many years.

High and intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of Be stars 4481 linesWe present an atlas of Hγ , He i lambda 4471 and Mg ii lambda 4481line profiles obtained in a 10 year observation period of 116 Be stars,which enabled many of them to be observed at quite different emissionepochs. From the best fit of the observed He i lambda 4471 line profileswith non-LTE, uniform (Teff,log g) and full limb-darkenedmodel line profiles, we determined the V sin i of the program stars. Toaccount, to some degree, for the line formation peculiarities related tothe rapid rotation-induced non-uniform distributions of temperature andgravity on the stellar surface, the fit was achieved by considering(Teff,log g) as free parameters. This method produced V sin iestimations that correlate with the rotational velocities determined bySlettebak (1982) within a dispersion sigma <= 30 km s-1and without any systematic deviation. They can be considered as given inthe new Slettebak's et al. (1975) system. Only 13 program stars havediscrepant V sin i values. In some objects, this discrepancy could beattributed to binary effects. Using the newly determined V sin iparameters, we found that the ratio of true rotational velocitiesV/Vc of the program Be stars has a very low dispersion aroundthe mean value. Assuming then that all the stars are rigid rotators withthe same ratio V(/lineω)/Vc, we looked for the value of/line ω that better represents the distribution of V sini/Vc for randomly oriented rotational axes. We obtained/lineω = 0.795. This value enabled us to determine the probableinclination angle of the stellar rotation axis of the program stars. Inthe observed line profiles of Hγ , He i lambda 4471, Mg ii lambda4481 and Fe ii lambda 4351 we measured several parameters related to theabsorption and/or emission components, such as: equivalent width,residual emission and/or absorption intensity, FWHM, emission peakseparations, etc. The parameters related to the Hγ line emissionprofiles were used to investigate the structure of the nearbyenvironment of the central star. From the characteristics of thecorrelations between these quantities and the inferred inclinationangle, we concluded that in most of cases the Hγ line emissionforming regions may not be strongly flattened. Using a simplerepresentation of the radiation flux emitted by the star+envelopesystem, we derived first order estimates of physical parameterscharacterizing the Hγ line emission formation region. Thus, weobtained that the total extent of the Hγ region is Rf=~ 2.5 +/- 1.0 R* and that the density distribution in theselayers can be mimicked with a power law rho ~ R-alpha , wherealpha =2.5+2.2-0.6. The same approach enabled usto estimate the optical depth of the Hγ line emission formationregion. From its dependence with the aspect angle, we concluded thatthese regions are caracterized by a modest flattening and that the rho(equator)/rho (pole) density contrast of the circumstellar envelope nearthe star should be two orders of magnitude lower than predicted bymodels based on a priori disc-shaped circumstellar envelopes. We foundthat the separation between the emission peaks, Deltap, andthe full width at half maximum, Delta 1/2, of the Hγline emission are not only sensitive to kinematic effects, but to lineoptical depth as well. This finding agrees with previous theoreticalpredictions and confirms that Huang's (1972) relation overestimates theextent of the Hγ line emission formation region. Data obtained atCASLEO operated under agreement between the CONICET and the NationalUniversities of La Plata, Córdoba and San Juan, Argentina, at ESOLa Silla, Chile and at OHP, France.}\fnmsep\thanks{Tables 2 to 7 andFigs. 1 and 2 are only available in full in electronic form at CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via\http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/378/861}} \subtitle{Anatlas of Hγ , He {\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont I} 4471 and Mg{\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont II

Statistical analysis of intrinsic polarization, IR excess and projected rotational velocity distributions of classical Be starsWe present the results of statistical analyses of a sample of 627 Bestars. The parameters of intrinsic polarization (p*),projected rotational velocity (v sin i), and near IR excesses have beeninvestigated. The values of p* have been estimated for a muchlarger and more representative sample of Be stars (~490 objects) thanpreviously. We have confirmed that most Be stars of early spectral typehave statistically larger values of polarization and IR excesses incomparison with the late spectral type stars. It is found that thedistributions of p* diverge considerably for the differentspectral subgroups. In contrast to late spectral types (B5-B9.5), thedistribution of p* for B0-B2 stars does not peak at the valuep*=0%. Statistically significant differences in the meanprojected rotational velocities (/line{vsin i}) are found for differentspectral subgroups of Be stars in the sense that late spectral typestars (V luminosity class) generally rotate faster than early types, inagreement with previously published results. This behaviour is, however,not obvious for the III-IV luminosity class stars. Nevertheless, thecalculated values of the ratio vt/vc of the truerotational velocity, vt, to the critical velocity forbreak-up, vc, is larger for late spectral type stars of allluminosity classes. Thus, late spectral type stars appear to rotatecloser to their break-up rotational velocity. The distribution of nearIR excesses for early spectral subgroups is bi-modal, the position ofthe second peak displaying a maximum value E(V-L)~ 1 . m 3for O-B1.5 stars, decreasing to E(V-L)~0. m8 for intermediatespectral types (B3-B5). It is shown that bi-modality disappears for latespectral types (B6-B9.5). No correlations were found betweenp* and near IR excesses and between E(V-L) and vsin i for thedifferent subgroups of Be stars. In contrast to near IR excesses, arelation between p* and far IR excesses at 12 mu m is clearlyseen. A clear relation between p* and vsin i (as well asbetween p* and /line{vsin i}/vc) is found by thefact that plots of these parameters are bounded by a ``triangular"distribution of p*: vsin i, with a decrease of p*towards very small and very large vsin i (and /line{vsini}/vc) values. The latter behaviour can be understood in thecontext of a larger oblateness of circumstellar disks for the stars witha rapid rotation. From the analysis of correlations between differentobservational parameters we conclude that circumstellar envelopes forthe majority of Be stars are optically thin disks with the range of thehalf-opening angle of 10degr

The region of Collinder 121The distribution of bright B-type stars in a field with a radius of5° centred at the Galactic open cluster Cr 121 is studied utilizingStrömgren and Hβ photometry. All PPM stars earlier thanspectral type A0 are used, revealing a loose nearby structure at adistance of 660-730pc, and a compact more distant group, which appearsto be a genuine cluster: Cr 121. Based on similar coordinates, distancesand positions on the colour-magnitude (CM) and Hertzsprung-Russell (HR)diagrams, 11 photometric cluster members are selected at a mean distanceof 1085(+/-41 standard error) pc. The results are discussed in the lightof both classical and Hipparcos points of view.

An IUE Atlas of Pre-Main-Sequence Stars. I. Co-added Final Archive Spectra from the SWP CameraWe have identified 50 T Tauri stars (TTS) and 74 Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE)stars observed in the IUE short-wavelength bandpass (1150-1980 Å).Each low-resolution (R~6 Å) spectrum was visually inspected forsource contamination and data quality, and then all good spectra werecombined to form a single time-averaged spectrum for each star. Use ofIUE Final Archive spectra processed with NEWSIPS reduces fixed patternnoise in individual spectra, allowing significant signal-to-noise ratiogains in our co-added spectra. For the TTS observed by IUE, we measuredfluxes and uncertainties for 17 spectral features, including twocontinuum windows and four fluoresced H2 complexes. Thirteenof the 32 accreting TTS observed by IUE have detectable H2emission, which until now had been reported only for T Tau. Using anempirical correlation between H2 and C IV line flux, we showthat lack of sensitivity can account for practically all nondetections,suggesting that H2 fluorescence may be intrinsically strongin all accreting TTS systems. Comparison of IUE and GHRS spectra of TTau show extended emission primarily, but not exclusively, in lines ofH2. We also fit reddened main-sequence templates to 72 HAEBEstars, determining extinction and checking spectral types. Several ofthe HAEBE stars could not be fitted well or yielded implausibly lowextinctions, suggesting the presence of a minority emission componenthotter than the stellar photosphere, perhaps caused by white dwarfcompanions or heating in accretion shocks. We identified broadwavelength intervals in the far-UV that contain circumstellar absorptionfeatures ubiquitous in B5-A4 HAEBE stars, declining in prominence forearlier spectral types, perhaps caused by increasing ionization of metalresonance lines. For 61 HAEBE stars, we measured or set upper limits ona depth index that characterizes the strength of circumstellarabsorption and compared this depth index with published IR properties.

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XXIII. Measurements during 1982-1997 from Six Telescopes, with 14 New OrbitsWe present 2017 observations of 1286 binary stars, observed by means ofspeckle interferometry using six telescopes over a 15 year period from1982 April to 1997 June. These measurements constitute the 23dinstallment in CHARA's speckle program at 2 to 4 m class telescopes andinclude the second major collection of measurements from the MountWilson 100 inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope. Orbital elements are alsopresented for 14 systems, seven of which have had no previouslypublished orbital analyses.

Stellar and circumstellar activity in the Be star EW Lacertae from the 1993 multi-site campaignA multi-site, multi-technique campaign on the Be star EW Lac was heldfor about 9 days in August-September 1993. We present results of theanalysis of visual, high S/N spectroscopic data (He I 6678 Å andHα ). Search for short-term variability was carried out on He I6678 (line profiles, radial velocity (RV), equivalent width (EW), fullwidth at half-maximum (FWHM) on the absorption part of the line profileand on violet (V) and red (R) emission peaks) and on Hα emissionline (line profiles, EW, V, R and V/R ratio). The presence ofmulti-periodicity is confirmed and we detected the frequencies found in1989 by Floquet et al. (1992) during a 8-day mono-site campaign.Possible non-radial pulsation solutions for the main frequenciesdetected are l ~ 2-3, | m | ~ 2-3. We found evidence on the He I 6678line of episodic matter outflows through the presence of relativelybroad, variable absorption line-profile variations. At least one sharpabsorption feature was also observed slowly crossing the stellar disc.It is attributed to a blob of matter temporarily orbiting the star. Abrief account is given of broad-band polarimetric observations,performed over 6 nights. A correlation is found between the variation inintrinsic polarization level in the B-band and He I 6678 Åstrength. Finally, we present a simple model that reproduces rather wellthe additional ``pseudo-photosphere" contribution in 1993 as opposed to1989.

A Second Catalog of Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 Filter Photometry: Ultraviolet Photometry of 614 StarsUltraviolet photometry from the Wisconsin Experiment Package on theOrbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 (OAO 2) is presented for 614 stars.Previously unpublished magnitudes from 12 filter bandpasses withwavelengths ranging from 1330 to 4250 Å have been placed on thewhite dwarf model atmosphere absolute flux scale. The fluxes wereconverted to magnitudes using V=0 for F(V)=3.46x10^-9 ergs cm^-2 s^-1Å^-1, or m_lambda=-2.5logF_lambda-21.15. This second catalogeffectively doubles the amount of OAO 2 photometry available in theliterature and includes many objects too bright to be observed withmodern space observatories.

Near-simultaneous Spectroscopic and Broadband Polarimetric Observations ofBE StarsNear simultaneous optical spectroscopic (on four nights) and broadbandlinear continuum (B, V, R,and I bands) polarimetric (on seven nights)observations of 29 Be stars were carried out during1993November-December. The program Be stars displayed wavelengthdependence of intrinsic polarizations with no frequency dependence ofpolarimetric position angles. Some of the Be stars displayed long-termpolarization variability. The Be and Be-shell stars could not bedistinguished from one another solely on the basis of their polarizationvalues. Full widths at half-maximum of the Hα profiles and theintrinsic linear continuum polarizations are closely correlated with theprojected rotational velocities of the program stars.Photospheric-absorption-corrected equivalent widths of Hα profiles[W(alpha)] and the radii of Hα-emitting or -absorbing envelopes(R_e or R_a) are nonlinearly correlated with the intrinsic continuumpolarizations of these stars. However, W(alpha) and R_e are linearlycorrelated. With large uncertainties, there is a trend of spectraldependence of polarization. Detailed discussion of these results ispresented in this paper.

Long-term visual spectrophotometric behaviour of Be stars. II. Correlations with fundamental stellar parameters and interpretationThe long-term visual spectrophotometric (SPh) behaviour of Be stars as afunction of fundamental stellar parameters is studied. Some previous SPhresults obtained by other authors are confirmed. Moreover, a tendencyfor temperature and aspect angle dependency of SPh variations is found.From the characteristics of visual SPh behaviour in Be stars we deriveconstraints for models of regions in circumstellar envelopes where thevisual continuum spectrum is formed: (i) The SPh emission and absorptionphases should not imply preferential aspect angles, as they can bothappear whatever the stellar inclination. This phenomenon cannot bealways accounted for by strongly flattened circumstellar envelopes; (ii)Radii of the visible continuum forming regions cannot be larger than afew R_*; (iii) Electron densities of these regions should not exceed N_e~ 10(13) cm(-3) ; (iv) Electron temperature of circumstellar layersproducing the SPh emission phases compare with the stellar Balmercontinuum radiation temperature and it is much lower in those producingthe SPh absorption phases. Three scenarios were studied to produce theobserved characteristics of emissions in the V magnitude and in thesecond component of Balmer discontinuity (Delta D) during the SPhemission phases: (a) expansion of a massive circumstellar shell thatpreserves circumstellar envelope flattening; (b) expansion of acircumstellar shell which increases the global flattening, so that adisc-like structure is formed; (c) continuous mass ejection thatincreases the storage of mass in a constant volume with a givenflattening. Mechanisms (a) and (b) produce a double valued (DeltaV,Delta D) SPh relation, while (c) produces a single valued relation.Only mechanisms (a) and (c) can easily produce the observed amounts ofemission Delta V and Delta D without violating the modeling constraintsfrom (i) to (iv) imposed by observations. The model SPh slopes of (DeltaV,Delta D) show the global sin i and T_eff observed dependencies. Thescenarios used to describe the double valued (Delta V,Delta D) suggestanother possible way how to build up circumstellar envelopes around Bestars.

Polarimetry of southern peculiar early-type starsWe present and discuss optical polarimetry of a large group (60 objects)of peculiar early-type stars (Herbig Ae/Be stars and candidate members,B[e] stars, extreme emission line objects etc.). Most were taken from``A new catalogue of members and candidate members of Herbig Ae/Bestellar group'' \cite[The et al. (1994)]{the2}. For 40 out of the 60objects polarization was measured for the first time. On the basis ofthe data we draw conclusions about the circumstellar shell configurationand orientation for several objects. Polarimetric variability ondifferent time-scales (minutes \ldots hours \ldots days) wasinvestigated, as well as comparison with earlier measurements toinvestigate variability over longer time-scales. No circularpolarization was detected to a 5sigma level in most of the investigatedstars. Polarimetric data obtained here as well as data available fromthe literature were analyzed from the point of investigating theevolutionary status of the objects. The relationship between thepolarimetric and photometric data was also investigated. Tables 6 to 22are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

An extensive Delta a-photometric survey of southern B and A type bright starsPhotoelectric photometry of 803 southern BS objects in the Deltaa-system as detection tool for magnetic chemically peculiar (=CP2) starshas been carried out and compared to published spectral types. Thestatistical yield of such objects detected by both techniques ispractically the same. We show that there are several factors whichcontaminate the search for these stars, but this contamination is onlyof the order of 10% in both techniques. We find a smooth transition fromnormal to peculiar stars. Our sample exhibits the largest fraction ofCP2 stars at their bluest colour interval, i.e. 10% of all stars in thecolour range -0.19 <= B-V < -0.10 or -0.10 <= b-y < -0.05.No peculiar stars based on the Delta a-criterion were found at bluercolours. Towards the red side the fraction of CP2 stars drops to about3% for positive values of B-V or b-y with red limits roughlycorresponding to normal stars of spectral type A5. The photometricbehaviour of other peculiar stars: Am, HgMn, delta Del, lambda Boo, Heabnormal stars, as well as Be/shell stars and supergiants shows someslight, but definite deviations from normal stars. Spectroscopic andvisual binaries are not distinguished from normal stars in their Delta abehaviour. The results of this work justify larger statistical work(e.g. in open clusters) employing more time-saving photometric methods(CCD). \newpage Based on observations obtained at the European SouthernObservatory, La Silla, Chile. This research has made use of the Simbaddatabase, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. Table 2 is only availablein electronic form via anonymous ftp 130.79.128.5 orhttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Long-term visual spectrophotometric behaviour of Be starsThe long-term spectrophotometric variations of 49 Be stars are studiedusing the U and V magnitudes of the UBV system, the total Balmerdiscontinuity D and the visible gradient Phi _rb. BCD spectrophotometricand photometric data in five different photometric systems, obtained inmost cases since 1950 and reduced to the BCD system, were used. The(U,D), (V,D), (Phi _rb,D) and (Phi _rb,V) correlations obtained differfrom star to star and they can be single or double-valued. They differclearly for Be phases or Be-shell phases. Be stars with small Vsin ishowing the ``spectrophotometric shell behaviour'': D > D_*, werefound. This finding implies either that strongly flattened models ofcircumstellar envelopes are in doubt for these stars, or that not all Bestars are rapid rotators. Comparison of observed variations with thosepredicted for model Be stars with spherical circumstellar envelopes ofvariable densities and dimensions implies that spectrophotometricpatterns of Be phases are due to circumstellar envelopes in low opacityregimes, while those of spectrophotometric shell phases are due tocircumstellar envelopes in high opacity regimes. In a given star, theenvelope regions responsible for the observed variations of D and Phi_rbin spectrophotometric shell phases seem to be smaller and denser thanthose producing the observed variations of these parameters inspectrophotometric Be phases. The high positive RV found in strong shellphases might favor the formation of compact circumstellar layers nearthe star. Figure 6 is only available in electronic form at CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Investigation of the variability of bright Be stars using HIPPARCOS photometryThe high accuracy and the homogeneity of Hipparcos data for bright starshave allowed us to quantify the degree of variability of Be stars. Thisdegree has been found to be highly dependent on the temperature of thestar. Rapid variability is the main feature of the 86% of early Be andless than 20% of late Be stars taking into account the limit ofdetection considered. In addition to Be stars reported in the Hipparcoscatalogue (ESA 1997) as short-period variables, we have been able toenlarge the number of detections as well as to confirm periodspreviously determined. Be stars that show larger amplitude rapidvariations are proposed as candidates for a search of multiperiodicityi.e. as non-radial pulsators. We have also searched for the presence ofoutbursts and fading events in the Hipparcos data. Outbursts have beenfrequently and preferentially detected in early Be stars with rather lowto moderate v sini while fading events seem to be more conspicuous instars with higher v sini. Mid-term and long-term variations have alsobeen investigated. Several stars have shown some evidence of temporaryquasi-periodic oscillations ranging between 10 and 200 days. Finallyinformation concerning long-term variations is reported. Cycles shorterthan or equal to the Hipparcos mission have mainly been detected instars earlier than B6. Long-term time scales of late Be stars areconfirmed to be longer by far. Tables 1 and 2 are only available inelectronic form at CDS via ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Long-term photometry of Be stars. III. Evidence for periodic outbursts of lambda ERI and photometric activity in HR2142Stromgren differential uvby photometry of lambda Eri and HR2142 isanalyzed. The data were taken during the time interval 1983-1994 in theframework of the Long-Term Photometry of Variables project at La Silla.lambda Eri exhibited four photometric events (probably associated withline emission episodes) that last several months and which werecharacterized by a common pattern of change in all passbands ( ~ +/-10(-3) mag/day) along with an apparent decrease of the amplitude of theshort-term variability and an increase of the stellar temperature. Asearch for periodicities reveals that these events fit a 486d recurrencetime. On the other hand, HR2142 showed a relatively ``quiet" long-termphotometric behaviour, the orbital period being detected only marginallyin the photometric data set. In contrast, a 344d period optimally fitsthe data. We discuss the possibility of an internal ``clock" regulatingthe outburst activity of lambda Eri and show that the photometricvariability of HR2142 can hardly be explained by its interacting binarynature. We also discuss an empirical relationship found between frac{partial c1}{partial u} and v sini in a sample of 11 Bestars. Based on observations obtained at ESO, Chile

MSC - a catalogue of physical multiple starsThe MSC catalogue contains data on 612 physical multiple stars ofmultiplicity 3 to 7 which are hierarchical with few exceptions. Orbitalperiods, angular separations and mass ratios are estimated for eachsub-system. Orbital elements are given when available. The catalogue canbe accessed through CDS (Strasbourg). Half of the systems are within 100pc from the Sun. The comparison of the periods of close and widesub-systems reveals that there is no preferred period ratio and allpossible combinations of periods are found. The distribution of thelogarithms of short periods is bimodal, probably due to observationalselection. In 82\% of triple stars the close sub-system is related tothe primary of a wide pair. However, the analysis of mass ratiodistribution gives some support to the idea that component masses areindependently selected from the Salpeter mass function. Orbits of wideand close sub-systems are not always coplanar, although thecorresponding orbital angular momentum vectors do show a weak tendencyof alignment. Some observational programs based on the MSC aresuggested. Tables 2 and 3 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Be Stars in the AAVSO Photoelectric Photometry ProgramWe present light curves, and an analysis of periodicity, for the threeBe stars in the AAVSO Photoelectric Photometry Program for which thereare adequate data. V2048 Ophiuchi was variable by 0.2 magnitude beforeJD 2447900, but has been constant, at minimum, since. V832 Cygni hasvaried quasi-cyclically by 0.1 magnitude over the period of observation.EW Lacertae showed a broad minimum, 0.2 magnitude deep. The spacing ofthe observations is not well suited for investigating the short-termvariations of these stars.